Tractor transplanter



1954 M. B. JEFFREYS TRACTOR TRANSPLANTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 21,1949 Inventor Marion 5. Je ffreys mm mm m R! mm mm vw Oct. 19, 1954Filed June 21, 1949 Fig. 2.

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M. B. JEFFREYS TRACTOR TRANSPLANTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor MarianJeffreys B, @Mddi h.

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Oct. 19, 1954 M. s. JEFFREYS TRACTOR TRANSPLANTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FiledJune 21, 1949 Inventor m m s M w Any 7 F m w w F 2 .o n W 0 W 6 8 M M 2%8 5 y TH, A w 2 4 w T kw /4 P 3 Patented Oct. 19, 1954 OFFICE;

I TRACTOR TRANSPLANTER Marion B. .leffreys, BensomN. 0.

Application June 21, 1949,'Serial No. 100,410

2 Claims.

the condition of the soil which may otherwise cause the shoe of thetransplanter to rise or fall when hard or soft spots in the ground areencountered.

In conventional transplanters the shoe was maintained in engagement withthe ground by resilient means, but since the effectiveness of such meanswas limited and irregular, the shoe was not always maintained atconstant depth and in proper engagement with the ground. The instantinvention seeks to eliminate this disadvantage by embodying in atransplanter means for maintaining the shoe in engagement with theground by a positive weight of the person or persons attending thetransplanter, and an important feature of the invention involves the provision of means for adjusting or varying the distribution of theattendants weight so that a predetermined portion thereof is applied tothe transplanter shoe while the remaining portion thereof is transmittedto and supported by the tractor.

Some of the advantages of the invention lie in its simplicity ofconstruction, in its convenient operation, in its adaptability for usein association with tractors of different types, and in its Iadaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects in view and such other objects andfeatures as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, theinvention consists essentially of the construction andarrangement ofparts as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention associated with a rearportion of a tractor;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof, one of the tractor wheelsbeing removed so as to reveal the invention;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially in the plane ofthe line 3-3 in Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are diagrammatic side elevational views showingdifferent operating positions of-the invention, and

Figure 7 is a diagramef -the-forces acting in the invention.

Like characters of'reference are used to designate like parts inthespecificationand throughout theseveral views.-

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the generalreference character Ii} designates a conventional tractor provided atthe rear end thereof with aliftable and lowerable carrier for implementswhich is of a conventional construction and includes,-inter alia, a pairof lift arms I I pivoted to the tractor as at i2 and actuated byhydraulically controlled links I3.

The invention resides in the provision of a transplanter designatedgenerally by the reference character i l, the same consisting of anelon-- gated frame Hi equippedintermediate its ends with upstanding sidepieces l8 which are pivot- 1 ally connected by means of suitable pins 20to rearends of the lift arms l'l, asis best shown in Figure 2.

As will be clearly apparent, the frame i6 ex-'- tends forwardly andrearwardly of the pivots 20 and the rear end portion-of the frame is provided with a pair of transversely spaced seats 22 to accommodate theattendants of the transplanter. If desired, suitable foot rests 24 maybeprovided on the frame forwardly of the seats 22.

The transplanter also includes a pair of support members 26, extendinglongitudinally of the frame It, which are pivotally connected at theirforward ends to the frame, these pivotal connections being adjustableand being facilitated by the provision of pivot bolts 23 which areselectively receivable in a plurality of vertically spaced apertures 30provided in brackets 32 with which the forward endportion of the frameIt is equipped.

The rear portion of each member 26 carries a conventional groundengaging transplanter shoe designated by the reference character 34,this shoe being of the type commonly used with transplanters and beingintended, of course, to form a furrow in the ground in which smallplants may be deposited and subsequently covered by soil gathered bycovering means 34 associated with the shoe, as will be clearly apparent.

A transverse support member 35 is rigidly-secured to the members 26 atpoints intermediate the pivots 20 and 28. Rigidly secured to the supportmember and extending upwardly from ends thereof are brackets 36 havingattached thereto a pair of straps 38 which are disposed in spacedrelation from the brackets so as to form slots in which portions of thelift arms I I are slidable.

The boltsby which thestraps 38 are secured to the brackets 36 areindicated at 40, 42, and are best shown in Figure 2.

A cross-piece 44 is secured to the upper ends of the side-pieces l8 andis provided in the end portions thereof with pairs of vertically spacednotches 46, 48, it being noted that these notches are located atdifferent distances from the pivots 20. End portions of a pair of chains50 may be anchored selectively in the notches 46, 48, these chains beingconnected to a common draft pin 52 of the tractor ID.

The operation of the invention will be best understood by referring tothe accompanying Figures 4-7, inclusive, wherein Figure 4 illustratesthe device in operation with the transplanter shoes traveling at apredetermined depth through the ground. This depth is set by means ofthe links [3 which support the arms H to vary the heights of the pivots20, and downward pressure in the formof operators weights on seats 22(see arrow 54 in Figure 4) tends to swing the frame l6 about the pivotsas at 56. Up-

ward movement of the forward end of the frame l6 results in upwardmovement of the forward ends of the members 26 with the result that thebolts 42 engage the arms H and urge the transplanter shoes downwardlyinto the earth. Penetration of the transplanter shoes may be limited bytransmitting portions of the operators weights to the draft pin 52through the use of the chains 56 as at 57.

Inasmuch as the weight transmitted to the transplanter shoes dependsdirectly upon the weight transmitted by the chains, it will be seen thatthe weight transmitted to the transplanter shoes may remain constant fordiiferent operators by varying the positions of the chains.

Assuming now that the front wheels of the tractor, for example, run overlow ground. Such occurrence would, in conventional practice, cause thetransplanter shoes to use out of the ground or travel at an insufiicientdepth. On the other hand, when the invention is used, forwarddeclination of the tractor will shift an imaginary axis 58 which passesthrough the points i2 and 52 (Figure 7) to a position indicated by 60.This results in the upward pivoting of arms il about points l2 due tothe tension of chains 50. Upward pivoting of arms H in turn results inthe use of pivots 20 and the lifting of the entire frame 16.

Upward movement of frame l6 results in the attempted upward movement ofmembers 26 relative to arms I i. However, inasmuch as bolts 42 bearagainst the arms II, the rear ends of the members are pivoted downwardlywith respect to both the arms I l and the frame 16. Due to the relativeproportions of the arms- H, the frame l6, and the members 26, thetransplanter shoes move downwardly relative to the frame the distance asthe frame moves upwardly so as to maintain constant penetration of thetransplanter shoes.

When the front wheels of the tractor travel over a rise in the ground,it will be understood that the axis 56 will have its upper end tiltedrearwardly. This will result in the lowering of the pivots 20 and thebodily lowering of the entire frame It. This will cause bolts 42 toattempt to move away from the'arms ll. However, up-

ward thrust on the transplanter shoes 34 by the round will retain thebolts 42 in engagement with the arms H with the transplanter shoesmoving upwardly relative to the frame i6. Inasmuch as upward movement ofthe transplanter shoes relative to the frame is equal to downwardmovement of the frame, the penetrating of the transplanter shoes willremain constant.

When the invention is being transported on the tractor, or while turningsharp corners, the entire carrier and transplanter attachment may belifted from the ground by actuating the links [3. However, to preventthe shoe 34 dragging on the ground, a bell crank 62 is attached by apivot 64 to the cross-piece 44 and connected by a chain 66 to the member26 (see Figure 3). This chain is attached to an anchor 65 on one limb ofthe crank, while the other limb of the crank is provided with a stop 61,engageable with the cross piece 44. When the crank 62 is swung so thatthe anchor 65 is disposed between the stop 61 and the pivot 64, thechain 66 will sustain the member 26 against dropping relative to theframe l6.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will beclearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, furtherdescription thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferredembodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changesin the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In combination with a tractor having a pair of rearwardly extendinglift arms, a transplanter comprising an elongated frame provided inter;-mediate its ends with upwardly extending side pieces, means pivotallyconnecting said side pieces to said arms for swinging movement of saidframe about a transverse horizontal axis, said frame having a rearportion provided with a seat, a support member pivoted to the frontportion 01' said frame and extending rearwardly therefrom, a groundengaging shoe mounted at the rear end of said member, a pair ofupstanding brackets mounted on an intermediate portion of said member,each of said brackets having parts providing a vertical slot slidablyreceiving one of said arms, fulcrum elements provided on said bracketsat the lower ends of said slots and engaging the lower edges of saidarms, for transmitting downward pressure on said seat to said shoe, andreleasable interconnecting means between said frame and said supportmember for sustaining said support member against downward swingingmovement relative to said frame.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said interconnecting meanscomprise a cross piece mounted at the upper ends of said side pieces, apivot on said cross piece, a bellcrank mounted on said pivot andincluding a first limb and a second limb, an anchor provided on thefirst limb, a flexible element extending from said anchor to saidsupport member, and a stop pro-' vided on the second limb and engageablewith said cross piece when said crank is in a position wherein saidanchor is disposed between said pivot and the stop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS CherryJuly 5, 1949

